When I look at this beautiful work of art, I am reminded of two artists:
Da Vinci and Degas. Degas was a master of pastels, and it takes a
master to create such beautiful detail using pastel chalks. On the
other hand, the pose and the straight face remind me of the Mona Lisa,
so, I guess this would be Xu's response to the Mona Lisa with a
contemporary background.

It is a truly wonderful piece.

$11,000

107x60cm

699.

White Cloud: original oil on canvas by Zhao Qian Xu (1998)

This painting of an older Yao minority man and young boy is from a
series of paintings that Xu did in Lianzhou, in the north of Guangdong.

Zhao Qian Xu has a breadth of style that stretches from the very
precise, realistic to the abstract. In fact, he says that he enjoys
painting in more abstract, less realistic styles because it allows
him more freedom to create. We tend to like his abstract works, as
well as the realistic, and everything in between.

It is slightly on the impressionistic side of realism with
bold brushstrokes making up the faces, defining the old man's high
cheekbones, yet, more delicate strokes show individual hairs of the old
man's beard and crows feet around his eyes. Moreover, paintings of the
minorities people of China show the real China, as those of us who live
here know it, as opposed to the China that China presents to the world.
In the minorities, age-old traditions are still preserved, unlike the
mainstream traditions, which were lost in the cultural revolution. The people
are unassuming and live simple existences, even wearing traditional
dress passed down through the ages. We believe that paintings that chronicle
their lives for us to share are most precious.

$10,000

80x70cm

693.

Peonies, original colored ink painting by Zhao Qian Xu (Xu Zhao Qian)

This ink painting is an abstract expression of a combination of Western
and traditional Chinese watercolor painting. The subject is
peonies, the national flower of China. Xu Zhao Qian concentrated
on paintings of flowers in the early part of the 2000's, while his
latest concentration is studies of old people, one of which recently won
him a gold prize.

We have several watercolor paintings of flowers by Zhao Qian Xu, in our
collection, but this one stands out because of its pinks and blues: the
others are mostly done in yellows and oranges. We also liked the
more abstract presentation of this painting.

$5,000

60x70cm

779.

Old Yao Man, original oil painting by
Xu Zhao Qian, c. 2000

The loving detail in this painting makes it so much more than a simple
portrait. Actually, it is a later version of a painting that Xu
did, while he was still in art school.

In reality, modern Chinese girls love to pose. You will see them
taking photos of each other, everywhere, or even snapping photos of
themselves with their cell phones, always in some sort of posed position.
Indeed, this pose, wistful, is of one of the standard repertoire that I
have observed, time and again.

That said, it is really a slice of life in modern China, and Xu has
captured it so nicely, in this portrait. While his expertise at
realism is demonstrated in his painting of the girl, his sense of
composition is shown in the softness of the background, which is also on
the ethereal-abstract side, a technique that he prefers.